The miR-Q approach is a highly sensitive quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) for expression analysis of small RNAs such as microRNA molecules. It is based on SYBR Green detection without requiring fluorochromic probes or Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA)-modified oligonucleotides. It shows a high dynamic range of six to eight orders of magnitude comprising a sensitivity of up to 0.2 fM microRNA, which corresponds to single copies per cell. There is nearly no cross reaction among closely-related microRNA family members, which points to the high specificity of the assays.